Forgiveness

3-27-2009
When we are wronged by someone, we usually do the exact opposite of what we are called to do. We typically lash out, seek revenge, talk negative about them, etc. I know of friends of mine that have been wronged by family, close friends, and other loved ones. Sometimes these events occur in recent history, but sometimes they occur years earlier. Regardless of when we were wronged, or by whom we were wronged, it still hurts the same way, and there should always be the same outcome: forgiveness.
In Matthew 6:14-15 it says, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. WOW! Did you read/hear that? I don’t know about you, but I am going to side with the forgiveness idea. With all of the mistakes I make on a regular basis, I know I need forgiveness from God, friends, family, and anyone else I sin against. We as human beings are sinners. They key is to genuinely ask for forgiveness when you wrong someone, and to forgive those that wrong you. Easier said than done right?
We tend to think that we must forgive those that sin against us and continue to hang out with them. Not true. There will be times in your life where you will forgive someone that has sinned against you, but you may never speak with them again. The key is to honestly forgive them. If we don’t forgive others, we are denying our common ground as sinners in need of God’s forgiveness.
God calls us to, “Hate what is evil and cling to what is good.” (Romans 12:9). In other words don’t hang around evil people. If they sin against you, forgive them as God forgives you, but move on! Run from negative, evil, and manipulative people. Do not allow yourself to be run over in the attempt of forgiveness. We’ve all heard the saying “forgive and forget”, and this can go another way, forgive the people that wrong you and forget about them. Do not allow other people’s problems to become your problems. We need to love them and be an example for them, but not at the expense of your health. Again, you will become who you hang around!
If you know of a believer in Christ that is sinning, be it against you or not, Christ gives us clear direction as to how to handle the situation in Matthew 18: 15-17. The idea behind these versus is to aid all believers into living a life of harmony. If you are holding on to something that keeps you from becoming all God wants you to be, let it go! Do not allow an event from the past to linger. Do not allow a negative comment from someone mess with your head. Allow God to give you the ability to forgive all of those that have wronged you.
Application:
1. Read Ephesians 4:25-32.
2. Who do you need to forgive? What’s keeping your from doing so right now?